Privacy rules for some patients have prevented many nursing home operators from disclosing resident sex offenders. Although federal law requires every state to register sex offenders and release their information under circumstances where protection of the public is an issue, individual states differ in terms of who must be notified.

Some states require that churches, neighbors, schools be notified whenever a sex offender moves to the area, but few require providing notice when they are admitted into a nursing home. This may be surprising to some of you, but the problem is so pervasive that several states have passed laws relating to long-term care homes in recent years.

Most people love the high they experience from positively impacting lives of others. As such, they keep going back for more. One website has taken advantage of this concept to help those in need of blood cells.

The site, Thank Your Donor, allows recipients of blood, platelet, plasma, and stem cell donations to share their success stories. They can share pictures, videos, and little blurbs about themselves, which makes the process much more personal.

A little encouragement and appreciation for such services go a long way fostering repeat donors.

If you've ever considered going to a blood bank to donate cells, here is a simple tool to help you find one nearby.